Preface: I normally post my own thoughts alone, but this time it's different. I had sent Willis an email ranting about Batman, and it turned into a discussion, so I decided to post both sides. Feel free to add under the comment section J
My Rant on “The Dark Knight Rises”:It just dawned on me that Anne Hathaway may have been good for Talia's character, since she has brown hair and eyes, but not as Catwoman. Why couldn't Charleze Theron, Angelina Jolie, Eva Green, or even Olivia Wilde, be Catwoman? I think even Marion Cotillard (who is in the movie playing some made up character who wasn’t in the comics) would have made a better Catwoman, she at least has green eyes. Do you know they considered Keira Knightley for Catwoman? I mean WTF is Christopher Nolan thinking? She is flat chested and a twig. They also considered flippin Jessica Biel who looks like a horse with those big teeth!
Also, why did they not make Talia his love interest in Batman Begins when she is Ras Al Ghul’s daughter and he was already the main bad guy? I mean there was just not need to make up a fake character (Rachel) for Katie Holmes to play.
While I’m venting, I may as well get it over with and let you know that I hate - absolutely hate - Christian Bale as Batman. He has no charisma, he is the most dull/boring/I don’t wanna sleep with you because your personality turns me off Batman, ever! Even George Clooney I would have slept with! He had charisma. I know it’s the "DARK" Knight and all, but does he have to be so unemotional at all times?! And boring! Jesus!
I can’t wait till this Batman is over and a new Batman movie series comes up, one that doesn’t make up fake characters like Katie Holmes’ character and Marion Cotillard's character, one that doesn’t switch actresses to play the same character, like Maggie Gyllenhaal substituting for Katie Holmes. I mean just when you think it can’t get worse than Katie, it does! That Maggie B*$@% looks like a droopy dog (like the one from the hush puppy commercials).
Reply from Willis:
I completely agree with you that Christopher Nolan has weird taste in his actresses and it should have been Charlize Theron (definitely not Keira Knightley; she is just too over used) but we'll see what this girl does. I've never seen Marion Cotillard in other movies but I'm wondering if her French accent may have been difficult to hide and that's why they did not choose her? But that is possibly beside the point.
As for Christian Bale, I think he hit the Batman that Christopher Nolan wished to explore pretty well actually. I remember there are the two Batmans, the charming/all around/easy going bachelor from the animated series and the dark/broody/jaded one from the later comics, and it is the later one he chose to do. Is he a little too dark? Yes, but I think it serves the purpose and mood of the story he's striving to tell. He's hitting all the main points, like the origin of his training, the fear of bats, and the lack of rhyme or reason of the joker's intentions. So far so good....
But this movie has me worried. Bane was never that huge a character but I do remember him being Hispanic and educated (something the animated series never showed), BUT, he does break Batman's back, so how can he “Rise” with a broken back? As a matter of fact, there is a scene in the preview where they show a man walking with a cane and the reflection looks like Bruce Wayne. This worries me....
We'll see how this goes but in all honesty, I am not excited. I'm anxious and fearful that this might just get ruined the same way that Batman was ruined when it was moved out of the hands of Tim Burton. The third Batman with the Riddler killed it, and it was all downhill from there.
As for Christian Bale, I think he hit the Batman that Christopher Nolan wished to explore pretty well actually. I remember there are the two Batmans, the charming/all around/easy going bachelor from the animated series and the dark/broody/jaded one from the later comics, and it is the later one he chose to do. Is he a little too dark? Yes, but I think it serves the purpose and mood of the story he's striving to tell. He's hitting all the main points, like the origin of his training, the fear of bats, and the lack of rhyme or reason of the joker's intentions. So far so good....
But this movie has me worried. Bane was never that huge a character but I do remember him being Hispanic and educated (something the animated series never showed), BUT, he does break Batman's back, so how can he “Rise” with a broken back? As a matter of fact, there is a scene in the preview where they show a man walking with a cane and the reflection looks like Bruce Wayne. This worries me....
We'll see how this goes but in all honesty, I am not excited. I'm anxious and fearful that this might just get ruined the same way that Batman was ruined when it was moved out of the hands of Tim Burton. The third Batman with the Riddler killed it, and it was all downhill from there.
My Last thoughts on this:
Touché on everything you said Willis, except for any references to the animated series. I only go by the comics, any other installation doesn’t count as far as Batman story goes for me J. So, the way I see it, you are right, there are 2 Batmans, the bachelor/fun Batman versus the dark one. The bachelor/fun Batman comes from the early Batman comic books, which eventually got dark anyway (this is the one they likely made the animated series out of). However, there is also the “Dark Knight” Series in which he was dark from the beginning, and that’s the Batman I think Christopher Nolan was aiming for, and that’s the Batman I don’t like.
